The Life and Artistic Focus of Louis William Desanges
Born in London, United Kingdom, Louis William Desanges was an English artist of French descent. As the great grandson of a French nobleman who had settled in England eighty years prior, he used the title Chevalier. His early travels took him through France and Italy before he settled in London in 1845, with later travels to India. While his early works were of an historical nature, he eventually turned toward portrait painting as a more lucrative pursuit.
Desanges was a frequent exhibitor at the Royal Academy between 1846 and 1887. His repertoire included various military scenes, such as a depiction of General Sir Garnet Wolseley during the Ashanti War and the March of General Roberts from Cabul to Candahar. He also exhibited a large battle scene of the Battle of Inkermann.
Portraits of Valor
Desanges became widely known for a series of paintings featuring portraits of soldiers who had won Victoria Cross medals. This project began after he was painting a portrait of Lieut. Col. Robert Lindsay, who had won the medal at the Battle of the Alma. Many of these works were exhibited at the Egyptian Gallery in Piccadilly, and forty-seven of them were shown at the Crystal Palace at Sydenham in 1862. In 1900, the majority of these paintings were acquired by Lord Wantage and hung in the Victoria Cross Gallery.
His depictions of Victoria Cross winners spanned several conflicts, including:
